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Thursday, May 17, 2018

Kids' Weekend Guide: May 18th-20th

Waterfront Art Festival is this Saturday!📷 by M-NCPPC

Get your STEM on while exploring the life cycle of butterflies, bounce around in a moonbounce at Summer Jam, shake your groove thang at a bibliobop dance party, have fun at Mt. Rainier Day, the Waterfront Art Festival and more - all this weekend!

*Given the rainy weather we've been having, please be sure to call or check the event website before heading out!

Check out some hands-on exhibits, live animals, educational displays, a play area and more at this fun, free, petite, local site. For a sneak peek, read about our time here!
When: 9am-5pm
Where: Mt. Rainier Nature & Recreation Center, 4701 31st Place, Mt. Rainier
Cost: Free!

Join us as we explore science through the life cycle of butterflies. Drop in for hands-on experiments and activities.

When: 10am-6pm

Where: Hyattsville Library, 6502 America Blvd, Hyattsville

Cost: Free!

Smaland at College Park's Ikea
Kids play in indoor playground while yo enjoy some shopping or just relax/eat/peoplewatch at the restaurant upstairs. Kiddos must be potty trained and be 37'' to 54'' tall (so children typically b/w ages of 3-6). Tips: (1) Best to arrive earlier on in the day as day progresses, so do the entrances lines; & (2) Join Ikea Family & kids get extra 30 minutes to play (depending on capacity) & you get free mildly-decent coffee!
When: 10:30am - 7pm
Where: 10100 Baltimore Avenue, College Park
Admission: Free!

Gymnastics Workshop / Open Gym at PG Sports & Learning Complex
This place is really great for 1-12 year olds! HUGE. Two climbing walls. Two foam pits. Tons of equipment for curious ones to explore and blow off some steam. Very clean. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Parents are required to be on the floor with the children (Maximum 3 child:1 adult). Check out my review here!
When: 4:30-5:30pm
Where: 8001 Sheriff Road, Landover
Cost: $7 per child

Toddler Time @ Art Works Now
Open studio time for toddlers and their accompanying adults. Even the youngest children can explore a variety of age-appropriate art materials in a safe, fun environment. What to expect? Read my review of Toddler Time at Art Works Now.
When: 10am-12pm
Where: Art Works Now, 4800 Rhode Island Ave, Hyattsville
Cost: $5

Bibliobop Dance Party
Calling all Preschoolers and Toddlers! Come and bust a move and shake your sillies out at the Greenbelt Bibliobop Dance Party. Bring your parents or caregivers and prepare to boogie and bop until we all drop!
When: 10:30 - 11:30 am
Where: Greenbelt Public Library, 11 Crescent Road, Greenbelt
Admission: Free!

Did you know that bees, butterflies, and even bats help to make 70% of the food we eat? Make a pollinators wheel and learn more about the fascinating world of pollinators. My review of Laurel Library's amazing Kids' Room, here!

When: 12-1pm

Where: Laurel Library, 207 7th Street, Laurel

Cost: Free!

CANCELED - Waterfront Art FestivalAmid the scenic atmosphere of an urban waterfront park, enjoy an afternoon of art and imagination! This outdoor gallery and market will have extraordinary art from local artists as well as art activities for all ages. Boat tours along the Anacostia River as well as live musical performances from the Crawdaddies, Kim Reynolds Trio and Strike Force Dummies. When: 12-6pm Where: Bladensburg Waterfront Park, Bladensburg Cost: Free!

Gametime @ Board & Brew
Board & Brew is a fun place to check out with your 5+year-old crowd. With over 500 board games including Operation, Perfection, Hungry Hippos, etc., you'll easily have a good time! Speaking of eating up, they also have a good menu of kid-friendly options. And for my fellow coffee afficionados, they rotate between Vigilante, Mad Cap and Counter Culture coffee - so you'll be sure to get a tasty, quality brew while you're there!
When: Opens at 7 am
Where: 8150 Baltimore Ave, College Park
Cost: $2.50 p/p for games + the cost of whatever you may order from menu.

Paint Branch Parkway Park Playground (All Ages)Get outside and check out this recently renovated playground, rivaling any great playground you've been to in DC, NYC or anywhere! Among other great things, its fireman's pole use a fun hydraulic lift to boost kids (and adventurous adults...) up and down a log plank is a blast! (I know some folks have had trouble locating this playground, so sharing some notes from our recent visit: If heading north on Route 1, make R on to Campus Drive, pass Aviation Museum, pass Ice Skating rink and shortly thereafter, will see small sign for "Calvert Road" (as well as sign for "Paint Branch Parkway" & "Disc Golf"). Make L and playground will be down a bit on your left.) When: Sunrise to sunsetWhere: 5202 Campus Drive (if old GPS, enter 5202 Paint Branch Parkway), College Park Cost: Free!

Indian Creek Playground (All Ages) Any time this weekend, check out this really fun and creative playground designed after Berwyn Heights' earliest residents - a group of Algonquian people known as Nacotchtank. Kiddos will have a blast climbing teepees, in an out of canoes and up and down dream catchers. If you get hungry afterwards, check outWhen: Sunrise to sunset Where: 8900 56th Avenue, Berwyn HeightsCost: Free!

Playground at University Hills Duck Pond Park(All Ages) Pack a picnic, check out the duck pond and then have fun at 1 of the 3 playgrounds at this park! There's one right at the entrance off of Wells Blvd but if you wander a bit on the bike path you'll find there's an even bigger one just down to the right with structures for the toddler and 5-12 crew.When: Sunrise to sunset...Where: 3400 Stanford St, HyattsvilleCost: Free!

Anacostia Riverwalk Trail - Kenilworth Aquatic GardensHead to Bladensburg Waterfront Park (BWP) and explore the 4-mile segment of the Trail now connecting the District with BWP! We packed lunches, parked at BWP and then walked the Trail all the way to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. It was lovely! Grab a bit of respite at Kenilworth, maybe eat that lunch you packed and then head back to BWP, where the kids can play/climb/laugh in an old B & O caboose.When: Sunrise to SunsetWhere: Start at BWP, 4601 Annapolis Road, BladensburgCost: Free!

1 comment:

Patuxent Wildlife Refuge is also having a Family Fun Day on Friday and Saturday. 10am - 1pm. The theme is "Family Fun: Animal Mothers." They have activities and crafts for all ages. Free, no registration required. Lots of great indoor space to move around and explore.